Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez

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Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez (29 July 1797 – 7 March 1869) was a Swiss liberal economist, political theorist, and jurist. He was a significant figure in the classical school of economics in continental Europe, known for his rigorous analytical approach, his engagement with the ideas of Sismondi and Ricardo, and his contributions to the debates on population, poverty, and the role of the state. While sometimes overshadowed by his French and British contemporaries, Cherbuliez produced insightful work that addressed key economic and social issues of his time.

Early Life and Education
Academic and Political Career
Major Economic Contributions and Ideas 3.1. Adherence to Classical Economics
3.2. Critique of Sismondi and Socialist Ideas
3.3. Theory of Value, Production, and Distribution
3.4. Population and Poverty
3.5. Role of the State and Liberalism
Style and Method
Influence and Legacy
List of Major Works
See Also
References
External Links

Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez was born in Geneva, Switzerland, into a prominent family of Huguenot origin that had produced several intellectuals and academics. His father, Abraham Cherbuliez, was a bookseller and publisher. He received a thorough education, initially in Geneva, and then pursued legal studies in Germany at the universities of Berlin and Heidelberg, where he was exposed to German philosophy and legal theory. He obtained his doctorate in law from Heidelberg.

His intellectual development was shaped by the liberal and rationalist traditions of Geneva and by his engagement with the leading economic and political thinkers of the era.

Upon returning to Geneva, Cherbuliez initially practiced law. His interest soon shifted towards political economy and political science.

In 1827, he became a professor of public law and political economy at the Academy of Geneva (which later became the University of Geneva).
He was actively involved in Genevan politics, serving as a member of the Representative Council (the cantonal parliament) and aligning himself with the liberal, progressive wing. He advocated for constitutional reforms and greater democratic participation.
Following political upheavals in Geneva in 1846, which saw a radical government come to power, Cherbuliez, a moderate liberal, found his political position untenable. He resigned his professorship and left Geneva.
He moved to Paris in 1848, where he continued his scholarly work and observed the revolutionary events of that year. He later returned to Switzerland, settling in Zurich, where he was appointed professor of political economy at the newly established Federal Polytechnic School (ETH Zurich) in 1855. He taught there until his death.

Cherbuliez was a firm adherent of the classical school of economics, broadly aligning himself with the principles laid out by Adam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Say, and David Ricardo. However, he was not an uncritical follower and engaged thoughtfully with contemporary debates.

Cherbuliez championed the core tenets of classical economics:

Free Markets: He believed in the efficiency of free markets and the benefits of free trade (laissez-faire, laissez-passer).
Say's Law: He generally accepted Say's Law of Markets, which posits that supply creates its own demand and that general gluts or overproduction are unlikely in a free market.
Limited Government: He advocated for a limited role for the state in the economy, primarily focused on ensuring property rights, enforcing contracts, and providing essential public goods.

A significant part of Cherbuliez's work involved a critical engagement with the ideas of his fellow Genevan economist, Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi, and emerging socialist doctrines.

Against Sismondi: While respecting Sismondi's concerns about the social consequences of industrialization (such as poverty and economic crises), Cherbuliez disagreed with Sismondi's critique of classical economics and his proposals for government intervention to regulate production and protect workers. Cherbuliez argued that Sismondi's remedies would stifle economic progress and ultimately harm the working class. He believed that the problems Sismondi identified were often due to impediments to free markets rather than inherent flaws in the market system itself.
Against Socialism: Cherbuliez was a strong critic of early socialist thinkers (like Saint-Simon, Fourier, and Proudhon). He argued that their proposals for collective ownership and centralized control of the economy were impractical, would destroy individual liberty and initiative, and would lead to economic stagnation and tyranny. His work Étude sur les causes de la misère, tant morale que physique, et sur les moyens d'y porter remède (1853) directly addressed these concerns.

Cherbuliez largely followed the Ricardian framework in his analysis of value, production, and distribution:

Value: He distinguished between value-in-use and value-in-exchange, generally adhering to a cost-of-production theory of value for reproducible goods, with labor as a key component.
Production: He emphasized the importance of capital accumulation and technological progress for increasing production and wealth.
Distribution: He analyzed the division of income into wages, profits, and rent, largely within the Ricardian model. He discussed the factors influencing these shares and their interplay.

Cherbuliez engaged with Malthusian population theory. While acknowledging the potential for population to outstrip resources, he was generally more optimistic than Malthus, believing that:

Economic progress, education, and moral restraint (prudence) could mitigate the Malthusian trap.
Improvements in productivity and capital accumulation could support a growing population at a higher standard of living. He devoted considerable attention to the problem of poverty (paupérisme), which was a major social concern in 19th-century Europe. He argued that the long-term solution to poverty lay in free markets, capital accumulation, education, and individual responsibility, rather than extensive state welfare programs, which he feared could create dependency and disincentivize work. However, he was not insensitive to suffering and acknowledged a limited role for public assistance in cases of genuine need.

Cherbuliez was a classical liberal. He believed that the primary role of the state was to:

Protect individual rights, including property rights.
Enforce contracts and maintain law and order.
Provide a stable legal and monetary framework.
Undertake essential public works that were beyond the capacity of private enterprise. He was wary of excessive government intervention in the economy, believing it often led to inefficiency, corruption, and a reduction in individual liberty. His political liberalism was closely tied to his economic liberalism.

Cherbuliez's economic writings are characterized by:

Clarity and Precision: He aimed for clear and logical exposition of economic principles.
Analytical Rigor: He employed a deductive, analytical approach, typical of the classical school.
Systematic Treatment: His major works, like Précis de la science économique, attempted to provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of the field.
Engagement with Contemporary Issues: He applied economic principles to the pressing social and political questions of his day.

Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez was a respected economist in continental Europe during his lifetime, particularly in Switzerland and France.
His textbooks, especially Précis de la science économique, were used in universities and helped to disseminate classical economic thought.
He played a role in defending liberal economic principles against the critiques of Sismondi and early socialists.
While his international fame did not match that of figures like J.S. Mill (who published his Principles around the same time as Cherbuliez's major works), Cherbuliez's contributions were significant within the context of French-speaking European economics.
His work provides valuable insight into the economic debates and intellectual currents of the mid-19th century.

De la démocratie en Suisse (On Democracy in Switzerland, 2 volumes, 1843) – A major work on political theory and Swiss institutions.
Riche ou Pauvre: exposition succincte des causes et des effets de la distribution actuelle des richesses sociales (Rich or Poor: A Succinct Exposition of the Causes and Effects of the Current Distribution of Social Wealth, 1840)
Précis de la science économique et de ses principales applications (Compendium of Economic Science and its Principal Applications, 2 volumes, 1862) – His most comprehensive treatise on economics.
Étude sur les causes de la misère, tant morale que physique, et sur les moyens d'y porter remède (Study on the Causes of Misery, Both Moral and Physical, and on the Means to Remedy It, 1853)
Le Socialisme, c'est la barbarie (Socialism is Barbarism, 1848) – A polemical work against socialist ideas.
Théorie des garanties constitutionnelles (Theory of Constitutional Guarantees, 2 volumes, 1838)
Numerous articles and pamphlets on economic and political subjects.

Classical economics
Liberalism
Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi
David Ricardo
Jean-Baptiste Say
History of economic thought

Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez (29 July 1797 – 7 March 1869) was a Swiss liberal economist, political theorist, and jurist. He was a significant figure in the classical school of economics in continental Europe, known for his rigorous analytical approach, his engagement with the ideas of Sismondi and Ricardo, and his contributions to the debates on population, poverty, and the role of the state. While sometimes overshadowed by his French and British contemporaries, Cherbuliez produced insightful work that addressed key economic and social issues of his time.

Early Life and Education
Academic and Political Career
Major Economic Contributions and Ideas 3.1. Adherence to Classical Economics
3.2. Critique of Sismondi and Socialist Ideas
3.3. Theory of Value, Production, and Distribution
3.4. Population and Poverty
3.5. Role of the State and Liberalism
Style and Method
Influence and Legacy
List of Major Works
See Also
References
External Links

Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez was born in Geneva, Switzerland, into a prominent family of Huguenot origin that had produced several intellectuals and academics. His father, Abraham Cherbuliez, was a bookseller and publisher. He received a thorough education, initially in Geneva, and then pursued legal studies in Germany at the universities of Berlin and Heidelberg, where he was exposed to German philosophy and legal theory. He obtained his doctorate in law from Heidelberg.

His intellectual development was shaped by the liberal and rationalist traditions of Geneva and by his engagement with the leading economic and political thinkers of the era.

Upon returning to Geneva, Cherbuliez initially practiced law. His interest soon shifted towards political economy and political science.

In 1827, he became a professor of public law and political economy at the Academy of Geneva (which later became the University of Geneva).
He was actively involved in Genevan politics, serving as a member of the Representative Council (the cantonal parliament) and aligning himself with the liberal, progressive wing. He advocated for constitutional reforms and greater democratic participation.
Following political upheavals in Geneva in 1846, which saw a radical government come to power, Cherbuliez, a moderate liberal, found his political position untenable. He resigned his professorship and left Geneva.
He moved to Paris in 1848, where he continued his scholarly work and observed the revolutionary events of that year. He later returned to Switzerland, settling in Zurich, where he was appointed professor of political economy at the newly established Federal Polytechnic School (ETH Zurich) in 1855. He taught there until his death.

Cherbuliez was a firm adherent of the classical school of economics, broadly aligning himself with the principles laid out by Adam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Say, and David Ricardo. However, he was not an uncritical follower and engaged thoughtfully with contemporary debates.

Cherbuliez championed the core tenets of classical economics:

Free Markets: He believed in the efficiency of free markets and the benefits of free trade (laissez-faire, laissez-passer).
Say's Law: He generally accepted Say's Law of Markets, which posits that supply creates its own demand and that general gluts or overproduction are unlikely in a free market.
Limited Government: He advocated for a limited role for the state in the economy, primarily focused on ensuring property rights, enforcing contracts, and providing essential public goods.

A significant part of Cherbuliez's work involved a critical engagement with the ideas of his fellow Genevan economist, Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi, and emerging socialist doctrines.

Against Sismondi: While respecting Sismondi's concerns about the social consequences of industrialization (such as poverty and economic crises), Cherbuliez disagreed with Sismondi's critique of classical economics and his proposals for government intervention to regulate production and protect workers. Cherbuliez argued that Sismondi's remedies would stifle economic progress and ultimately harm the working class. He believed that the problems Sismondi identified were often due to impediments to free markets rather than inherent flaws in the market system itself.
Against Socialism: Cherbuliez was a strong critic of early socialist thinkers (like Saint-Simon, Fourier, and Proudhon). He argued that their proposals for collective ownership and centralized control of the economy were impractical, would destroy individual liberty and initiative, and would lead to economic stagnation and tyranny. His work Étude sur les causes de la misère, tant morale que physique, et sur les moyens d'y porter remède (1853) directly addressed these concerns.

Cherbuliez largely followed the Ricardian framework in his analysis of value, production, and distribution:

Value: He distinguished between value-in-use and value-in-exchange, generally adhering to a cost-of-production theory of value for reproducible goods, with labor as a key component.
Production: He emphasized the importance of capital accumulation and technological progress for increasing production and wealth.
Distribution: He analyzed the division of income into wages, profits, and rent, largely within the Ricardian model. He discussed the factors influencing these shares and their interplay.

Cherbuliez engaged with Malthusian population theory. While acknowledging the potential for population to outstrip resources, he was generally more optimistic than Malthus, believing that:

Economic progress, education, and moral restraint (prudence) could mitigate the Malthusian trap.
Improvements in productivity and capital accumulation could support a growing population at a higher standard of living. He devoted considerable attention to the problem of poverty (paupérisme), which was a major social concern in 19th-century Europe. He argued that the long-term solution to poverty lay in free markets, capital accumulation, education, and individual responsibility, rather than extensive state welfare programs, which he feared could create dependency and disincentivize work. However, he was not insensitive to suffering and acknowledged a limited role for public assistance in cases of genuine need.

Cherbuliez was a classical liberal. He believed that the primary role of the state was to:

Protect individual rights, including property rights.
Enforce contracts and maintain law and order.
Provide a stable legal and monetary framework.
Undertake essential public works that were beyond the capacity of private enterprise. He was wary of excessive government intervention in the economy, believing it often led to inefficiency, corruption, and a reduction in individual liberty. His political liberalism was closely tied to his economic liberalism.

Cherbuliez's economic writings are characterized by:

Clarity and Precision: He aimed for clear and logical exposition of economic principles.
Analytical Rigor: He employed a deductive, analytical approach, typical of the classical school.
Systematic Treatment: His major works, like Précis de la science économique, attempted to provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of the field.
Engagement with Contemporary Issues: He applied economic principles to the pressing social and political questions of his day.

Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez was a respected economist in continental Europe during his lifetime, particularly in Switzerland and France.
His textbooks, especially Précis de la science économique, were used in universities and helped to disseminate classical economic thought.
He played a role in defending liberal economic principles against the critiques of Sismondi and early socialists.
While his international fame did not match that of figures like J.S. Mill (who published his Principles around the same time as Cherbuliez's major works), Cherbuliez's contributions were significant within the context of French-speaking European economics.
His work provides valuable insight into the economic debates and intellectual currents of the mid-19th century.

De la démocratie en Suisse (On Democracy in Switzerland, 2 volumes, 1843) – A major work on political theory and Swiss institutions.
Riche ou Pauvre: exposition succincte des causes et des effets de la distribution actuelle des richesses sociales (Rich or Poor: A Succinct Exposition of the Causes and Effects of the Current Distribution of Social Wealth, 1840)
Précis de la science économique et de ses principales applications (Compendium of Economic Science and its Principal Applications, 2 volumes, 1862) – His most comprehensive treatise on economics.
Étude sur les causes de la misère, tant morale que physique, et sur les moyens d'y porter remède (Study on the Causes of Misery, Both Moral and Physical, and on the Means to Remedy It, 1853)
Le Socialisme, c'est la barbarie (Socialism is Barbarism, 1848) – A polemical work against socialist ideas.
Théorie des garanties constitutionnelles (Theory of Constitutional Guarantees, 2 volumes, 1838)
Numerous articles and pamphlets on economic and political subjects.

Classical economics
Liberalism
Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi
David Ricardo
Jean-Baptiste Say
History of economic thought

Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez (29 July 1797 – 7 March 1869) was a Swiss liberal economist, political theorist, and jurist. He was a significant figure in the classical school of economics in continental Europe, known for his rigorous analytical approach, his engagement with the ideas of Sismondi and Ricardo, and his contributions to the debates on population, poverty, and the role of the state. While sometimes overshadowed by his French and British contemporaries, Cherbuliez produced insightful work that addressed key economic and social issues of his time.

Early Life and Education
Academic and Political Career
Major Economic Contributions and Ideas 3.1. Adherence to Classical Economics
3.2. Critique of Sismondi and Socialist Ideas
3.3. Theory of Value, Production, and Distribution
3.4. Population and Poverty
3.5. Role of the State and Liberalism
Style and Method
Influence and Legacy
List of Major Works
See Also
References
External Links

Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez was born in Geneva, Switzerland, into a prominent family of Huguenot origin that had produced several intellectuals and academics. His father, Abraham Cherbuliez, was a bookseller and publisher. He received a thorough education, initially in Geneva, and then pursued legal studies in Germany at the universities of Berlin and Heidelberg, where he was exposed to German philosophy and legal theory. He obtained his doctorate in law from Heidelberg.

His intellectual development was shaped by the liberal and rationalist traditions of Geneva and by his engagement with the leading economic and political thinkers of the era.

Upon returning to Geneva, Cherbuliez initially practiced law. His interest soon shifted towards political economy and political science.

In 1827, he became a professor of public law and political economy at the Academy of Geneva (which later became the University of Geneva).
He was actively involved in Genevan politics, serving as a member of the Representative Council (the cantonal parliament) and aligning himself with the liberal, progressive wing. He advocated for constitutional reforms and greater democratic participation.
Following political upheavals in Geneva in 1846, which saw a radical government come to power, Cherbuliez, a moderate liberal, found his political position untenable. He resigned his professorship and left Geneva.
He moved to Paris in 1848, where he continued his scholarly work and observed the revolutionary events of that year. He later returned to Switzerland, settling in Zurich, where he was appointed professor of political economy at the newly established Federal Polytechnic School (ETH Zurich) in 1855. He taught there until his death.

Cherbuliez was a firm adherent of the classical school of economics, broadly aligning himself with the principles laid out by Adam Smith, Jean-Baptiste Say, and David Ricardo. However, he was not an uncritical follower and engaged thoughtfully with contemporary debates.

Cherbuliez championed the core tenets of classical economics:

Free Markets: He believed in the efficiency of free markets and the benefits of free trade (laissez-faire, laissez-passer).
Say's Law: He generally accepted Say's Law of Markets, which posits that supply creates its own demand and that general gluts or overproduction are unlikely in a free market.
Limited Government: He advocated for a limited role for the state in the economy, primarily focused on ensuring property rights, enforcing contracts, and providing essential public goods.

A significant part of Cherbuliez's work involved a critical engagement with the ideas of his fellow Genevan economist, Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi, and emerging socialist doctrines.

Against Sismondi: While respecting Sismondi's concerns about the social consequences of industrialization (such as poverty and economic crises), Cherbuliez disagreed with Sismondi's critique of classical economics and his proposals for government intervention to regulate production and protect workers. Cherbuliez argued that Sismondi's remedies would stifle economic progress and ultimately harm the working class. He believed that the problems Sismondi identified were often due to impediments to free markets rather than inherent flaws in the market system itself.
Against Socialism: Cherbuliez was a strong critic of early socialist thinkers (like Saint-Simon, Fourier, and Proudhon). He argued that their proposals for collective ownership and centralized control of the economy were impractical, would destroy individual liberty and initiative, and would lead to economic stagnation and tyranny. His work Étude sur les causes de la misère, tant morale que physique, et sur les moyens d'y porter remède (1853) directly addressed these concerns.

Cherbuliez largely followed the Ricardian framework in his analysis of value, production, and distribution:

Value: He distinguished between value-in-use and value-in-exchange, generally adhering to a cost-of-production theory of value for reproducible goods, with labor as a key component.
Production: He emphasized the importance of capital accumulation and technological progress for increasing production and wealth.
Distribution: He analyzed the division of income into wages, profits, and rent, largely within the Ricardian model. He discussed the factors influencing these shares and their interplay.

Cherbuliez engaged with Malthusian population theory. While acknowledging the potential for population to outstrip resources, he was generally more optimistic than Malthus, believing that:

Economic progress, education, and moral restraint (prudence) could mitigate the Malthusian trap.
Improvements in productivity and capital accumulation could support a growing population at a higher standard of living. He devoted considerable attention to the problem of poverty (paupérisme), which was a major social concern in 19th-century Europe. He argued that the long-term solution to poverty lay in free markets, capital accumulation, education, and individual responsibility, rather than extensive state welfare programs, which he feared could create dependency and disincentivize work. However, he was not insensitive to suffering and acknowledged a limited role for public assistance in cases of genuine need.

Cherbuliez was a classical liberal. He believed that the primary role of the state was to:

Protect individual rights, including property rights.
Enforce contracts and maintain law and order.
Provide a stable legal and monetary framework.
Undertake essential public works that were beyond the capacity of private enterprise. He was wary of excessive government intervention in the economy, believing it often led to inefficiency, corruption, and a reduction in individual liberty. His political liberalism was closely tied to his economic liberalism.

Cherbuliez's economic writings are characterized by:

Clarity and Precision: He aimed for clear and logical exposition of economic principles.
Analytical Rigor: He employed a deductive, analytical approach, typical of the classical school.
Systematic Treatment: His major works, like Précis de la science économique, attempted to provide a comprehensive and systematic overview of the field.
Engagement with Contemporary Issues: He applied economic principles to the pressing social and political questions of his day.

Antoine Elisée Cherbuliez was a respected economist in continental Europe during his lifetime, particularly in Switzerland and France.
His textbooks, especially Précis de la science économique, were used in universities and helped to disseminate classical economic thought.
He played a role in defending liberal economic principles against the critiques of Sismondi and early socialists.
While his international fame did not match that of figures like J.S. Mill (who published his Principles around the same time as Cherbuliez's major works), Cherbuliez's contributions were significant within the context of French-speaking European economics.
His work provides valuable insight into the economic debates and intellectual currents of the mid-19th century.

De la démocratie en Suisse (On Democracy in Switzerland, 2 volumes, 1843) – A major work on political theory and Swiss institutions.
Riche ou Pauvre: exposition succincte des causes et des effets de la distribution actuelle des richesses sociales (Rich or Poor: A Succinct Exposition of the Causes and Effects of the Current Distribution of Social Wealth, 1840)
Précis de la science économique et de ses principales applications (Compendium of Economic Science and its Principal Applications, 2 volumes, 1862) – His most comprehensive treatise on economics.
Étude sur les causes de la misère, tant morale que physique, et sur les moyens d'y porter remède (Study on the Causes of Misery, Both Moral and Physical, and on the Means to Remedy It, 1853)
Le Socialisme, c'est la barbarie (Socialism is Barbarism, 1848) – A polemical work against socialist ideas.
Théorie des garanties constitutionnelles (Theory of Constitutional Guarantees, 2 volumes, 1838)
Numerous articles and pamphlets on economic and political subjects.

Classical economics
Liberalism
Jean Charles Léonard de Sismondi
David Ricardo
Jean-Baptiste Say
History of economic thought